Most students enrolled in MBA programs must work in groups to complete important projects and requirements en route to obtaining their degrees. Some students work with the same group throughout their program; other students work with several groups each semester. This is a guide for helping these groups to be as effective as possible.
In the beginning when the group is forming, it is helpful to do some kind of structured exercise that moves beyond superficial conversation. For this reason, it is helpful to have a somewhat structured but fun exercise that moves people beyond superficial pleasantries and encourages them to talk about their expectations for the team, work styles, and so on. For great resources on team exercises, the following resources and books are very useful:
Kellogg Team and Group (KTAG) Center’s cases1
Experiences in Management and Organizational Behavior (4th edition)2
The Role-Play Technique: A Handbook for Management and Leadership Practice 5
A Handbook of Structured Experiences for Human Relations Training 6
A Handbook of Structured Experiences 7
The Big Book of Team Building Games 8
More Team Games for Trainers 9
Hay Group10
Human Synergistics11
A host of tensions and dilemmas can threaten the effectiveness of any study group. We suggest the team meet and complete a “team charter.” We also suggest that groups that will work together for long periods discuss the following issues in the first week or two:
Learning: “Are we here to learn and to help others learn or are we here to get a good grade?” There is not a right answer to this question, but differing goals in the group can hurt performance.
Standards: “Is perfectionism more important than being on time, or vice versa?”
Performance: “Are we a high-pass (dean’s list) group or a pass (survival) group?”
What happens if the project leader has lower standards than some other members about writing a paper or report?
What happens if one group member is not very skilled at some topic area (i.e., how do you use that member’s input on group projects and incorporate ideas that do not appear to be adding value)?
Is it best to capitalize on the existing strengths of team members or to play to people’s weaknesses?
Suppose your team has a quantitative guru. Do you want to assign the “quant jock” to do all the math and econometrics problems or use this as an opportunity to let other team members learn?
Member skills: Do you want to use your study group meeting time to bring all group members up to speed, or should those who need help get it on their own time?
Person–task focus: Are people the group’s first priority, or is working the first priority?
Structure: Should the team meeting be structured (e.g., agenda, timekeeper, and assigned roles) or should it be free form?
Interloper: Are other people (outside the group) allowed to attend group meetings and have access to group notes, outlines, homework, and so on, or is group work considered confidential?
Communication standards: Are group members expected to adapt to the most advanced methods of communication, or does group work happen at the lowest common denominator?
Project leader pacing: There would seem to be an advantage for group members who volunteer early on for group projects because commitments and pressures build up later in the semester. How will the group meeting process adapt to increasing workloads?
After the group is well under way, it is a good idea to take stock of how the group is working together. We suggest the “team assessment,” ideally administered by a coach, facilitator, or instructor acquainted with the study group (see the KTAG cases and exercises).
Another useful idea is to do some version of a peer-feedback performance review, wherein individuals receive confidential feedback and ratings about how they are viewed by other team members. This can often be completely computerized (see Appendix 4).
It is important that study groups revisit the team charter. Are the expectations being met? What issues and topics that are not in the charter should be talked about? What issues in the charter do not seem relevant?
Consider the actual advice from MBA students who were enrolled in an intensive 2-year program. Their study groups were assigned to them and maintained throughout the 2-year program. During the time they worked together, members were asked for their input on what did and did not work in their study groups in regard to maximizing learning and using time effectively. Exhibit A3-1 summarizes the students’ responses.